With Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D predicted to premiere to huge numbers on ABC next week, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe currently standing as the third highest-grossing film franchise of all time, it’s safe to say that superheroes are here to stay. And so, news that Marvel is looking to cement its grip on your television with another original series shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone.
This time around, Marvel is looking to build a TV series around Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), Steve Rogers’ fiery love interest in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. Though details are pretty scarce on the project, which may be titled Agent Carter, we can assume that the series would track the character after the events of Captain America, fighting strange forces and far-reaching conspiracies as a kick-ass secret agent (à la Marvel One Shot: Agent Carter, an excellent short attached to the upcoming Iron Man 3 Blu-ray).
Check out a clip from that short below:
It’s easy to see why Marvel would jump at the chance to make this project happen. The studio has drawn the ire of some fans for focusing on male heroes in their films and relegating characters like Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Cobie Smulder’s Maria Hill to supporting roles. The character of Carter has also played well with audiences, so a TV series based around her would allow Marvel to bring an already popular supporting character further into the limelight. Sources for The Playlist have confirmed that Atwell would reprise her role in the series, which may shoot as early as next year.
Atwell did a great job of inflecting her character with charisma, smarts and sex appeal in Captain America, so I’d be excited to see where she would take the character if given her own show. And if the show could retain the same pulpy, period feel that Captain America managed to communicate so well, all the better.
I could also easily see an Agent Carter TV series taking off, especially on ABC, which traditionally succeeds in the ratings with exciting, female-led dramas. Let’s not forget that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D came out of a short from the DVD for The Avengers, entitled Item 47, so the idea that Marvel One Shot: Agent Carter may work to set up a TV series is certainly not far-fetched.
Would you watch an Agent Carter TV series? Let us know in the comments section!